SFD to MNG Converter

Create MNG animated graphics from FontForge font sources

Drop files here. 1 GB maximum file size or Sign Up
to
Facebook Amazon Microsoft Tesla Nestle Walmart L'Oreal

Rich Imaging

MNG supports animation and complex composition — ideal when you need more than a static snapshot of your SFD font designs.

Server Processing

Convertio handles the SFD to MNG rendering remotely. No FontForge or MNG tools needed on your local machine.

Private Files

Uploaded SFD sources are removed immediately after conversion and MNG outputs are purged within 24 hours for security.

How to convert SFD to MNG

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose mng or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your mng file right afterwards

About formats

SFD (SplineFont Database) is the native source file format of FontForge, the free and open-source font editor originally created by George Williams in 2000 under the name PfaEdit. The format stores a complete font project — glyph outlines (cubic and quadratic splines), advance widths, side bearings, hinting instructions, kerning and OpenType feature tables, naming records, and metadata — in a single human-readable text file. Each glyph is described by its Unicode code point, outline coordinates, reference composites, and anchors, making the entire font design inspectable and diffable with standard text tools. SFD functions as the editable working format during font development, from which finished fonts are compiled to binary formats like OTF, TTF, or WOFF. A primary advantage is version control friendliness — because SFD is plain text, font designers can track changes to individual glyphs, merge contributions from collaborators, and maintain full revision history using Git or any other VCS. The format's completeness is another strength: it preserves every piece of data that FontForge can represent, including TrueType instructions, contextual substitution lookups, and multiple master axes, avoiding round-trip data loss during editing. The SFD specification is publicly documented and has evolved through several versions. FontForge's widespread adoption in the open-source type design community means SFD serves as the source format for hundreds of freely licensed font families distributed worldwide.
Developer: George Williams
Initial release: November 7, 2000
MNG (Multiple-image Network Graphics) is an animation and multiple-image format designed as the animated counterpart to PNG, with its specification reaching version 1.0 on January 31, 2001. Developed by Glenn Randers-Pehrson and members of the PNG development community, MNG extends PNG's capabilities with support for frame-based animation sequences, slide shows, complex sprite overlays, and JNG (JPEG Network Graphics) frames for lossy compression of photographic content within the same container. An MNG file consists of a series of chunks (following PNG's chunk-based architecture): MHDR and MEND chunks bookend the datastream, with embedded PNG or JNG images as individual frames and control chunks (DEFI, FRAM, LOOP, ENDL, TERM, BACK, BASI, CLON, PAST, DISC, SHOW) directing playback timing, looping behavior, layer compositing, and memory management. The format supports both full-frame replacement and delta (difference) updates for efficient encoding of animations with static backgrounds, as well as object-based animation where sprites are defined once and repositioned across frames. One advantage is technical sophistication: MNG provides a level of animation control that GIF and APNG cannot match — frame-accurate timing, nested loops, conditional branches, interframe compression, and mixed lossy/lossless content within a single animation. The PNG-based foundation ensures lossless quality with full alpha transparency for each frame. MNG is supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, and various media players, though browser support was limited, which led to APNG's emergence as a simpler alternative for web animation.
Initial release: January 31, 2001

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert SFD to MNG?

MNG extends PNG with animation and complex image composition. Use it for font previews that need to be embedded in systems supporting MNG.

How do I open an MNG file?

MNG is supported by Konqueror, some builds of Firefox, and image tools like XnView and ImageMagick. Browser support varies.

Is MNG the same as APNG?

No, MNG and APNG are separate animation extensions of PNG. MNG is more feature-rich but less widely supported by modern browsers.

Does MNG support transparency?

Yes, MNG inherits full alpha transparency support from the PNG family, allowing clean compositing of font glyph images.

Is this conversion free?

Yes, Convertio converts SFD to MNG for free in your browser without registration or downloads.